Changes
by The Amazing McCormick
Summary: The Justice League returns from an inter dimensional mission to find that more time has passed than they thought. The world they return to is the same as the one they left, except for one thing: it seems their apprentices have taken their places.


A/N: Bonjour, mes beaux lecteurs!

(I have a French test today. I'm focused.)

This is the Collab for the ULTIMATE Collab Challenge!

My partner was the great **OwlheadAthena**. Check out her stories; they're pretty rad.

Ha. Rad. I've never used that word before.

PROMPT: "It's too late. You had your chance. And I'm just getting started."

Enjoy!

**A/N: OHA (OwlheadAthena) here. Anyway... I hate my computer. And flash drive. Both deleted this story TWICE. What the salami sandwich? God, I had to do this over the weekend, and only finished tonight...**

* * *

><p>A mission. A team.<p>

A bomb.

A flash. An explosion.

An entire mountain erased from the map.

And, with it, the Justice League.

Three days in another dimension. Three years in their own world.

And, when they finally return, nothing is as it used to be.

* * *

><p>Dick didn't know what to do.<p>

To simply put it.

He stared up at the statue of Batman that had been erected in Gotham City's park, as if that just made _everything better_, as if it sealed the hole in the heart of all Gothamites since Batman had disappeared, specifically _himself._ Richard 'Dick' Grayson; also know as Robin in his free time.

Since his father disappeared, Batman; Bruce Wayne. Both.

_(Not gonna cry, not gonna cry, __**not. gonna. cry…)**_

Richard Grayson-Wayne didn't cry, what with his reputation and all.

Robin didn't cry, since he was the partner to the night, the Boy Wonder.

But Dick Grayson however... he could cry. He's cried several times, in fact. Like when he was eight and living at the circus happy as could be, when a rope snapped and his life fell down around him, just like his family did. He's cried when Bruce Wayne first brought up the topic of him being adopted and becoming the heir to the Wayne fortune, jumping into his new father's arms and then immediately going to hug Alfred and shake arms with Lucius. Oh yes, he's let tears fall from his eyes, over and over again.

He could cry now, if he tried.

On a whim, Dick looked up to see the sky a beautiful blue for once, almost as brilliant as his eyes. This made no sense; his father was dead, nothing should be beautiful. The sky was cloudless and free, unlike Dick. His wings were clipped; for however long was up to him. But right now, all Dick wanted was for it to rain, so everything would be as dark and gray as himself. So the streets would be as alone but loud with the sound of falling water as he was. Is that so much to ask?

Apparently.

As Dick turned to leave, he saw a man and his son shuffle up to the stone statue of the gone hero. (Not dead, Robin insisted. _Gone._)

The boy's -_(dark blue eyes)-_ hazel colored eyes were wide and brimmed with tears as he reached out to touch the statue hesitantly, just like Robin had done. As the boy began to cry, the father, with _-(Black hair and sad, dark blue eyes)- _blonde hair and light blue eyes knelt down and wrapped an arm around his son.

The boy buried his face in his father's -_(expensive, leather jacket)-_ dark brown overcoat and clutched his action figure –A Batman one- tightly as his body shook from his crying.

A small sobbing noise sounded in the back of Dick's throat.

Technically, he didn't cry.

(There was nothing left to shed.)

...

Years went by. Three, to be exact.

Dick and his teammates rebuilt the Justice League. Their mentor's former teammates that hadn't also disappeared on the ill-fated mission joined them, as did tons of new heroes out to make a name for them. Wonder girl's (Donna and Cassie), Arrowette, Red Arrow, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire... (The last one, an alien like M'Gann, was pretty nice, in more ways than one.) Even Zatanna stepped up to take her father's place after he also disappeared.

Aqualad stepped down in the first few months, after a run-in with Lex Luthor on a mission went sour.

As for Dick... he stepped up and took on the cowl at fifteen. He became the night, the fear the strikes in all villain's hearts. Now at eighteen, while most kids would be getting ready to go off to college, Dick was leader of the Justice League.

He had the most experience, the most brilliant mind, _and _he was Batman. The choice was obvious, in all retrospects, after Kaldur left for Atlantis. So he took up the responsibility of handling the Justice League, updating all of the security, and dealing with Wayne Enterprises, overtime developing a market system that enabled the company to spread out branches around the world.

Not bad, for a then fifteen year old kid.

Everything had sort of worked out, in some deep twisted way. He was living; he was surviving; just as usual. Routines began to spring up, and life started to make sense again. He could get through this.

But now, everything he'd ever worked for was crashing down around him, just as always.

Bruce Wayne stood across from him and looked him straight in the eye with those sad, steely gray eyes and in his Batman way, bluntly stated: "I'm back."

For the first -and hopefully last time- in his life, Richard 'Dick' Grayson fainted.

…

"Dick? Lad, you okay?" Bruce Wayne -now with his own Batman cowl down- gently shook the shoulders of his still unresponsive son. The fact that said adopted son was wearing what looked like Dick's own version of Bruce's batsuit didn't go unnoticed by the man, but Bruce chose not to comment.

"Master Bruce, if I may, I believe that your appearance has been a bit of a shock to us all." Alfred, loyal and steady as ever, came up with his ever-present tea tray balanced on one hand with a wet towel held in his other gloved one. Setting the silver tray down for the moment on a nearby table, Alfred approached Dick and gently set the wet rag on the boy's forehead.

"Of course, Alfred. Sorry." Bruce amended, and Alfred gave his former ward of sorts a soft smile.

"You are pardoned, Master Bruce. But I must add that you are quite the 'sight for sore eyes.'"

Bruce Wayne gave a low chuckle as he knelt down to brush a stray strand of hair from his 'baby' bird's face. His own handsome one fell a moment later. "My God, Alfred... he's gotten so big."

"Well, he _is _eighteen sir." Alfred deadpanned as he began to fill up the bone china teacups. "It's been ten years since you took him in, after all."

"I was gone three years?" The statement, the _knowledge _on how much of the life he lived and enjoyed _escaped _him hit Bruce in the stomach, hard. "I-I didn't know..."

"Well, perhaps you should have taken a peek at your calendar then, sir." As always, Alfred managed to make his sarcasm sound polite, a skill Batman could pick up on, especially when talking to people like Wonder Woman. (Or any women in general, really) "If I may ask, sir, what _did _happen that required you and the rest of the League to be pulled out of it all this time?"

"This type of vortex, Alfred. I'm not really quite sure _what _it was." Alfred raised an eyebrow at this. "Either way, it sucked us in and swirled the League and I around and around, like one of those spinning rides at the carnivals."

"Which you never go to." Alfred muttered under his breath. Ignoring that comment, Bruce continued.

"To us, it took us only three days to get out of it. But I guess the vortex object had an effect on time that enabled it to slow down and make it so that one Earth day was the equivalent to an Earth year." Bruce shrugged. "That's my theory, at least."

Pause. Alfred mentally sighed as he began to prepare himself.

3...

Behind Alfred's back there was a sharp intake of breath through the nose.

2...

The sound of someone exhaling.

1...

"You _let _him become Batman? He's only eighteen!"

Taking a moment to roll his eyes, Alfred turned around to face a rather red Bruce Wayne. "When you and the League disappeared, crimes went through the roof. Gotham became infinitely worse without you, Master Bruce. Someone needed to become Batman and take your place, and Dick decided it would be him to take the responsibility. Master Dick has donned your cowl for three years now, and I think that he has been _quite _the new Batman if I say so myself."

"But Alfred, still, he's not ready-"

"Actually, I think I am." A new voice sounded, making the two men arguing turn to where a now very much awake young man was leaning against Bruce's old lounge chair.

Bruce stepped forward towards Dick, who immediately took a step back. "Dick, it's good to see you-"

"Save it, old man." Dick frowned, crossing his arms over the bat symbol on his chest. Bruce did the same, and two different pairs of blue eyes stared at each other in a silent battle. Bruce was the first to start speaking again, while Alfred quietly left to fetch more tea.

"You can't do this. You're only eighteen."

"So what?" The younger Bat immediately responded.

"You're supposed to be starting _college, _Dick. How are you supposed to balance crime-fighting with your studies?"

Dick cocked an eyebrow like the answer was obvious. "Alfred with help. So will Babs, and any other of the new League members." Bruce mentally filed this new bit of information away in his brain before Dick continued. "I'll also be going to Gotham University, which is only a few minutes away. Nothing my motorcycle can't cover in a few minutes." Dick shrugged like the matter was closed, and turned away. Bruce scowled.

"Dick, _I _didn't start being Batman until I was twenty-three!"

"So? It's not like Gotham could exactly wait for you all these years. Bruce; we thought you were dead... _I _thought you were dead." Dick's face was bitter and sad as he spoke of how he was left all alone... again. "When my parents died, one of the first things you ever told me was to _keep moving forward._ No matter what, the Mission is never over. You also told me to never forget those I lost, and one of the only ways to continue your memory was to Batman, Bruce. Protecting Gotham was one of the only reasons you existed; to stop fighting crime and give up the idea of Batman and Robin would mean erasing your existence." Dick stopped speaking, but his eyes held another message. _I couldn't lose you too, Bruce. Not again, not anymore._

Bruce stepped forward, his mouth a little dry now. "Dick... I'm proud of you, and I'm sorry I left. But I'm _back _now, and you said so yourself: Batman is the one of the only reasons I live for. You can't just deny me that."

Dick fell silent at that, and Bruce took another tentative step forward. "Dick...?"

"Stop." Dick's expression was in the shadows and impossible to make out, something Bruce wasn't exactly happy about. He couldn't see his son's expression. However, the former Boy Wonder's tone was enough of a clue to what the boy was feeling right now. "It's too late, Bruce. You had your chance. _I'm_ Batman now, and I'm just getting started." The former acrobat stalked forward and pushed his father aside, heading towards the Batmobile. Jumping into it, the cover slid over its drive. However, Dick's voice could still be heard as he pulled on his cowl. "Now if you excuse me, I have a patrol to do." The boy's- _man's _tone held no room for argument, and Bruce silently nodded.

In a screech and squeal of tires, the Batmobile was gone, leaving Bruce and Alfred alone in the cave. Alfred handed his older master a cup of tea, which the younger man gratefully accepted.

"Come along, Master Bruce;" Alfred said, as if Bruce was a lost eight-year-old again. "You have a lot of catching up to do. Reminiscing will have to wait."

Bruce dutifully followed his faithful butler to the elevator that would carry the two up to Wayne Manor, still feeling numb.

His baby bird had grown up, and he had missed every single moment.

* * *

><p>"<em>There's a major bank robbery on 1st."<em>

"You three, go."

"_Klarion's trying to raise a demon."_

"Zatanna, take Kid Devil. Stop him."

"_Goons are holding hostages in the Grand Prix lobby."_

"Batgirl and Supergirl. This one's yours."

"_Lex is going to blow up the city. The entire city."_

"What?"

The masked figure on the screen held some similarities to the hero they once knew. However, the smaller body, the slimmer, less built physique, reminded them that this was not the Batman.

"_I'm going to need a team to infiltrate the headquarters and shut the bomb down at the source."_

"Of course," Kaldur said as he turned. "I'll send…"

Interesting. How coincidental that, for their biggest, most important mission yet, the only members of the New Justice League were the original six.

The nostalgia felt at that point throughout the team gave them a confident feeling going into the mission.

Of course, once the mission dragged on, that confident feeling dissipated into anxiousness.

And, by the end of the mission, the only thing they felt was grief.

The mission nearly failed. They almost lost a teammate.

So he quit.

…

His arrival was met with a chorus of "Welcome back, King," or other variations.

Aquaman strolled into the main hall of Atlantis. Though his pace was leisurely, inside, he was tense. Not five hours ago, the League had returned from a mission in another dimension. News had spread fast, and, undoubtedly, other members were reuniting with their friends, family, and, most importantly, apprentices.

But Aquaman hadn't seen Kaldur yet. He hoped to see the young hero here, in Atlantis. He needed to speak with him.

He had heard that Kaldur had stopped being the leader of the Team. Aquaman had consulted other young heroes about this information, and all of them had confirmed that Kaldur had been in Atlantis for over a year, never leaving, even for important missions.

Kaldur was in the Observatory. He didn't hear Aquaman arrive.

The older Atlantean cleared his throat.

Kaldur did not look up. "My King." His voice was as even and cool as ever, though it held something it hadn't held before. Was that… sadness? "I had heard you had returned."

"And you did not arrange to meet with me?"

Kaldur sighed. "I tried. However, there were… complications."

"Complications? And you couldn't even make time to see your mentor, your king?" The last part came out harsher than intended. Even now, Kaldur did not lift his eyes.

"My King, I meant no disrespect." Even under pressure, Kaldur remained calm.

"Kaldur'ahm. What has happened here?" A change of subject seemed the way to go.

"There was a need for heroes. Without the League, the world was in chaos. The Team were forced to step in. It was their duty."

"Their duty," He bit out. "Their duty? What about yours? You've spent the past year here, in Atlantis." He ignored the comment from Kaldur, questioning how he knew; "When I asked you to become my apprentice, I expected you to keep that up. Maybe, one day, you could take over for me.

Kaldur's eyes widened "My King-"

"Enough. When you were my apprentice, I was not your king. I was your mentor. There was a trust, an understanding. I believed in you. I thought you would become great. Now? Now, it's not the same. I would like to think I have honorable people in my kingdom. If you cannot-"

"I made a mistake. It nearly cost one of my teammates their life. After that day, I decided I was no longer fit to be a leader. I thought I could come to Atlantis, study more, and, maybe, return to the surface to lead them once again. However, until then, I must remain here."

Aquaman was not expecting the sudden outburst from Kaldur. While the boy's-no, he was a man now- voice didn't crack, didn't show any kind of emotion, he knew. Underneath, Kaldur was a wreck. He blamed himself fully for what happened.

This was not the Kaldur he knew.

Aquaman laid a hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "I will help you, then."

Kaldur looked at his king, his mentor. He nodded slowly, grateful for the man's understanding.

"Now, Kaldur, why don't you tell me exactly what happened?" the two started towards the Palace.

"I failed my team. There is nothing more to say."

"On the contrary, there is much more to say. What caused this 'failure'? Who was hurt? What was done to amend it? Kaldur, if you will look past the thought of it being a failure, and instead see it as a learning experience, your road to recovery will be that much easier. And, maybe one day, you will return. And they will accept you."

"Yes. Maybe."

* * *

><p><em>Superman stops crime spree.<em>

_Superman and Batman put Arkham inmates back where they belong._

_Superman saves crashing plane._

_Justice League saves universe from collapse._

Hell, there were even titles like;

_Superman saves drowning kitten._

And then, if one were to look hard enough, they might just find something buried on the back page:

_Sidekicks fight icy foes._

They didn't even deserve names.

The heroes, the League, overshadowed everyone else. The sidekicks were left to pick up the pieces.

However, three years ago, the tables had turned. With the disappearance of the League, the 'sidekicks' had had a chance to become big. To stop being the small fry. To do something.

They had stopped living in their mentors' shadows and become heroes.

_Superboy puts another villain behind bars._

_Villain claims: Boy more difficult that Man._

_Metropolis's New Hero stands tall._

_New Justice League puts down crime._

All newspaper headlines from the Daily Prophet. All top stories. Front pagers.

And, finally, on the last page, six paragraphs, one thousand words.

_Old League still missing._

However, as Conner picked up the most recent newspaper, he knew the glory days were coming to an end.

_Man claims he saw Superman._

It was true.

The blaring of horns and shouts of angered passersby floated up towards his spot at the top of the tallest building in Metropolis. The everyday sounds served as a cushion, a way to rest, knowing that everything was normal, if not fine, in Super-his city.

Well, it would be Superman's city again, wouldn't it? News of the League's return spread like wildfire through the supercommunity.

In the midst of this everyday noise, a voice stood out from the rest.

"Conner."

He couldn't be sure if he had imagined it.

"Conner. Conner Kent."

The voice sounded oddly familiar, but he had trouble placing it.

"Conner Kent."

Who had managed to find him, all of the way up here? Up on top of this skyscraper?

"Superboy."

Oh. Now he knew.

He turned. The face, the costume, the symbol that this man adorned, it was all burned into his mind. It all stood for something. Something he struggled to be.

"What?" Conner's tone was harsh, exactly the way he intended.

Superman-Clark- balked. "I-I'm back."

"So?" Conner didn't need this. Not now.

"Well… apparently, you took over for me while I was gone?" He fidgeted with the end of his cape; the kid's expression made him nervous.

"Yeah. What of it?" Conner's tone was impatient, irritated. He definitely didn't need this.

"Um," Clark hadn't expected this reaction. "Well, I'm back. I can take your place." That sound wrong, but he couldn't take it back.

"No." The answer was short and fast. He couldn't believe it.

"What?"

"You heard me." Conner snapped. "No. I'm not giving this up."

Clark sighed. "You don't understand. I'm Superman. This is my job."

"No!" Conner stood, facing the older hero head on. "You don't understand! I live in your shadow! Since I escaped Cadmus, I've been trying to be the hero that you are. Now, I am that hero. You can't take that away."

"But I can." Clark hadn't wanted to play this card, but the clone left him no choice. "Or, rather, the people can. They won't look at you to be the hero when I'm back."

"You don't know that." Conner didn't believe the words, even as he said them. His mood darkened even more than usual.

"I do. And so do you. If you want to be a hero so badly, I could always-"

"I'm already a hero. I don't need my statue in the central park, or my name on the front page. I'm a hero where it counts for me." Conner pointed to the streets below. "Obviously, you need to return to where it counts for you."

Clark stood still, not sure what to say. Was Conner actually implying that he was a hero for the publicity?

"Conner." He tried to make amends.

"No. Don't talk to me. I'm done with you." Conner turned away.

Clark knew the boy wouldn't listen anymore. Sighing, he walked to the edge of the tower and flew down, with a surprisingly heavy heart.

From his place, Conner could hear the shouts of the people below.

"Is that Superman?"

"Oh, my God!"

"Look! Up in the sky!"

"It's Superman!"

"He's back!"

The black haired teen didn't bother to look and see if he had really left. He jumped off of the side of the skyscraper to the street below. He didn't want to see the faces of the people he had fought to protect, the awed expressions towards their new savior as the thought of their previous hero was completely wiped from their minds.

His time was up.

* * *

><p>It'd been three, long years now. Since Wally had lost his uncle, and had been forced to step up and become the Flash. He'd become part of the Justice League, with his girlfriend, in the blink of an eye and was pushed and shoved towards something he wasn't 100% sure he was ready for.<p>

He missed his uncle, so, so much.

'Course, Dick was probably going through worse... losing one set of parents after another, but still: It hurts.

At that point, Wally's girlfriend plopped down on the couch next to him, joining him in the staring at a photo album. As Artemis brushed her now shoulder-length blonde hair out of her face, she gently touched a picture of a fifteen year old Wally laughing with Barry, both in their respective superhero costumes.

"I miss him too, Kid." She muttered, using her old nickname for him, even though they were both now twenty-one. "And Ollie, even though he wasn't really my uncle, he still cared for me like one. And I loved him for that. I wish I'd gotten to tell him that before..." Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath.

Feeling compelled to speak, Wally put an arm around her. "I know. Ollie would be proud of you, Miss Green Arrow." A teasing note snuck into his sentence, and Artemis rolled her eyes.

"What, no 'Mrs.'?" She joked, and laughed at how her boyfriend immediately began spluttering. ('Cause that's what all men do when the topic of commitment is brought up. Duh.)

"Oh, hardy har har." Wally muttered sarcastically. "I'm hurt, Artie." The red-head placed a hand over his heart dramatically, while Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." The archer shot back.

Wally snorted, rolling his eyes now. "Lady, I'll stop calling you 'Artie' when you stop calling me 'Kid'."

"... Touche."

The speedster let out a (victory) stretch, before using his superspeed to immediately catch the falling picture album.

"Smoooooooooooooth." Artemis teased, and Wally rolled her eyes before immediately starting to tickle her after setting the book down on the coffee table. Artemis' squeals and protests echoed around their small apartment.

"W-wally! I swear i-if you do-don't stop right this instance... WEST!"

...

Across the street from the happy couple's apartment, on top of the building overlooked it, stood a figure dressed in green. Behind him, another man -this time dressed in red- leaned on a billboard proclaiming 'WELCOME TO KEYSTONE' as he munched on a protein bar.

"Ollie, are you done making sure your niece isn't killing my nephew now?" The Flash complained as he crumpled up the wrapper of his treat and stuffed it back in his glove compartment.

Ollie snorted. "I'm just making sure they're treating each other right."

"You're worse than Batman."

"Silly Barry, don't you remember our dear old Bat doesn't have feelings?"

"...Touche."

"No duh."

There was a short pause before Ollie felt a gush of air and suddenly Barry was besides him. "Geez... Kid kinda grew up while we were gone, didn't he?" The speedster had a wistful note in his voice. "Wonder how old they are."

"I'd say we've been gone a couple of years, so they're partly through college now. I think."

"You hang out with Batman too much."

"Can we stop it with the Batman jokes? You know Bruce is gonna pop out of the shadows and eat you if ya keep up the jokes." Barry stuck out his tongue and Ollie, while the archer rolled his eyes.

"Nah, Bruce is in Gotham right now, reuniting with Dick and stuff. I think Dick's become Batman while we were... out of commission." There was a slight note of bitterness, and almost hesitation, as Ollie mentioned the mission that stole three years of their- his life. For a moment, there was silence, which Ollie felt compelled to break since he started it. "So... how's Iris?"

Barry perked up immediately at the mention of his wife. "Oh, she's fine. I called her, actually. Once she got over the whole gone-for-three-whole-years thing, and Barry-Allen-I'm-gonna-kill-you phase, she actually sounded pretty happy and relieved I was back. I think she was crying."

"Oh, well that's good... I think."

"Hopefully."

As Ollie started to collapse his binoculars and put them away, his mind flew to Roy and Dinah. Did they know he was back? Had they already moved on; were they married and starting a family now? Ollie suddenly felt like he was itching all over, and wanted to head back to the Man-cave/Arrow-cave back at his mansion, where hopefully his bed would be made. And maybe Dinah would be there...

As if reading his thoughts, the speedster began buzzing in place. "C'mon, we still got plenty of other people to see now."

Ollie gave a soft, sad smile, giving the speedster a glimpse on the inner thoughts of his friend. "Believe me: I know."

* * *

><p>Australia was an interesting place, J'onn decided. The wilderness was all rocks and dust, much like Mars itself.<p>

Was that why M'gann chose to live in such a place?

In the distance, a dark spec stood out from the orange landscape. J'onn sped up his flight; this had to be what he was looking for.

When he arrived, he almost left. _Surely_ this wasn't the place. This run-down shack on the side of the cliff couldn't hold strong enough; she would have chosen something more fortified.

However, on a second examination, he realized that this was exactly the kind of place she would choose. He stepped inside of the house. A quiet, mechanical voice spoke:

_Recognized: Martian Manhunter. 07_

Part of the back wall opened up.

Of course. This was the same front they used with Mount Justice.

Before him lay a networking of hallways and rooms. However, he found navigating the place to be less of a task than originally thought. The inner workings nearly mimicked that of the living area of the Cave.

The house was buzzing with noise; from the television in the living room to the radio in the bedroom, and even in the kitchen, where the general clatter of cooking was paired with the melodic trill of her voice, singing a song in their native tongue.

He hated to interrupt her, but this was important.

"M'gann."

The girl whirled around, a huge smile on her face. "Uncle J'onn!" she rushed to hug her mentor. "You've returned!"

He returned the hug, a small smile gracing his mouth. When they both pulled away, however, he became serious again.

"M'gann, how long has the League been gone? Time was so different there…"

"One thousand, one hundred, fourteen days." She said quickly. "I was worried."

Again, he couldn't help but smile at her usual antics. But, still, there were more important matters at hand.

"M'gann, explain."

She didn't need to read his mind to realize what he was talking about.

"Practically from the second you left, crime was on the rise like never before. People were _scared_, Uncle. They wanted to know why their heroes had gone."

"It could not have been helped." He amended. "There was an important mission. Full League response."

"I know." She nodded. "But someone had to step up. Turns out, there are many 'small time' heroes out there; heroes who are fully capable of holding their own in a fight. Not only them, but us. The 'sidekicks'. We were the first ones that were turned to when you left."

"That does not explain the change. Why…" for once, the Martian Manhunter could not think of a response.

"It explains everything. Most of us thought you were gone forever. In a way, you left your titles, your _legacies_ behind. Some stepped up, some didn't." she stopped. She didn't want to admit the next part.

"Continue, M'gann."

"They-the humans, I mean. The civilians-started calling some of us by your names." She sighed. "Uncle…_ I'm_ the Manhunter, now."

J'onn had known that was coming, but, to hear it out loud, from _her,_ no less, still shocked him.

"Uncle, I-"

Suddenly, the noise from the television cut off, being replaced by a tone to indicate an incoming message.

Grateful for the distraction, M'gann rushed to the living room.

On the screen was an image of a woman with black hair and a red costume.

"Donna! What's the problem?" M'gann spoke to the woman.

"M'gann, glad I could catch you at home. Wally and Eddie are tied up with the 'Atomic Skull' crisis, and everyone who was involved in the Freeze dilemma is still partially frozen. That includes Lorena. You're going to need to head to the Hall and help thaw Lorena out, and then the two of you need to head to Australia. Psimon is controlling the minds of the creatures in the Great Barrier Reef, and people are terrified."

"Of course. I'm on my way." The screen cut off, switching back to the show that was playing before.

"Uncle," M'gann said as she shifted into her uniform, "We'll have to continue this conversation later."

"Do you think it would be possible to… give it up?" J'onn didn't want to sound selfish, he never was, but this was something important to him.

"_I _could. But, Uncle, you told me this before we came to Earth. Humans are selfish, lying, cheating people. They won't care that you're back; they'll only want to know why you were gone, why you left. I could give it up, but I don't think they could."

…

M'gann arrived at the Hall moments later. She was surprised to see Lorena already thawed out and ready to go.

"I thought you were still partially frozen?"

Lorena laughed. "I had help. Conner wants to come along. That alright with you?" She raised an eyebrow.

M'gann smiled, catching onto what Lorena was saying. "Of course."

"Good." The voice behind her startled M'gann for the slightest of seconds before she turned and threw herself into Conner's arms.

"I haven't seen you in a week! Where've you been?" M'gann practically squealed with delight.

Conner offered a small, sad smile. "Kicked out of my city."

M'gann pulled away and looked into Conner's eyes. "Superman returned as well?"

Conner sighed. "Yes. Your uncle is here?"

"He came to visit me. Didn't take too well to the news, though." She lowered her eyes, keeping her gaze firmly affixed to the floor tiles.

"So? It doesn't matter. It's gonna work out. Don't worry." Lorena pitched in. "Now, let's go."

M'gann nodded.

...

The two of them were cuddling on the sofa at his apartment. The mission was a success, and, after making sure everyone was alright, the two retired to his apartment for some much-needed alone time.

However, M'gann felt that she couldn't completely enjoy it. Too many other thoughts clouded her mind.

Now that the League was back, what did that mean for the rest of them? Will the League take their places, or will they step down and let the new generation of heroes keep their titles?

Too many changes. Too many "maybe"'s

Will anything ever stay the same?

"What're you thinking about?"

M'gann looked up at Conner. "Hm?"

"You've been quiet. What're you thinking about?"

She had him, though. Her rock. Her constant. Him, and the rest of the team. Maybe they could even convince Kaldur to come back.

She smiled, straitening up a little. "Mmm…" she leaned into him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Nothing."

* * *

><p>AN: Complete!

Loads of thanks to **OwlheadAthena** for her awesome writing!

In case you were wondering, she wrote Dick and Wally and Artemis.

I wrote Kaldur, Conner, and M'gann.


End file.
